Sears to Stay Put

Receive the latest inc-well updates in your inbox

Hey, we lost Marshall Field's to Macy's and Frango mints to Pennsylvania, so it was certainly plausible that when the Hoffman Estates-based Sears was threatening to walk unless it got financial backing from the state, it meant it.

Well, rah-rah Chicagoans can breathe a bit easier as the legislation, an amendment to Senate Bill 397, passed both chambers and only awaits the signature of Governor Pat Quinn. So, it's basically a done deal, it seems.

It's taken a while, but the lowdown on how this came to pass finally was the Illinois house leaders split the bill into two parts, "one piece benefiting businesses and one providing relief for individuals. The two, together, could cost the state as much as $350 million annually."

If you want a much, much deeper analysis, the Daily Herald Business Ledger has your hook-up. Just be forewarned: It's not exactly light reading. But it should fill you in completely. Read that here.

David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as an interviewer-writer for Adult Swim, he's also a columnist for EGM. He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. When not playing video games for work he's thinking of dashing out to Chicago Diner, Pizano's, or Yummy Yummy. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.